Beneath the surface
by draco.luver.forever
Summary: My first fanfic, so plz give me suggestions! Hermione gets to know a certain blond slytherin. what she doesn't know is that the more she gets to know him, the more she finds that she doesn't know him at all.
1. Hermione

**Hi everyone…this is my first fanfiction so please read!**

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**Chapter 1 - Hermione**

It was a dark, dark night around the Granger household. Inside, Hermione Granger could be found working away well past midnight. There was a knock on her bedroom door. Startled, Hermione looked up and said, "Come in!" The door opened and there stood Mr. Granger in his pajamas.

"Hermione, it's 2 o'clock in the morning. Can't you finish all your Hogtown stuff in the morning?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"It's _Hogwarts_ dad, honestly, you don't even know the name of my school? But anyways, I suppose I could finish later, but I like being on top of things, school opens next week and I still have Snape's essay to finish!" she said, holding up a parchment half filled with her miniscule handwriting.

"O.K. O.K, you can finish it later, right now you can get some sleep!" said Mr. Granger sleepily.

"Oh, all right dad!" she said.

She pulled on her nightgown and turned off the light.

The next morning, Hermione woke up ground lunchtime. She dressed and went downstairs. Mrs. Granger spotted her daughter and said, "We might as well go to that Dragon Alley today to get your school stuff."

"It's Diagon Alley mum, sure I'll go get my school stuff. I'll go alone since it's not that far away. Did you happen to get my Hogwart's letter?" said Hermione.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. A brown owl came and dropped it off this morning," said Mr. Granger, wrinkling his nose.

"All right then," said Hermione nodding, "I'll go as soon as I get some breakfast."

She ate her breakfast, more like lunch, and took the next subway to London. She got to the Leaky Cauldron and went out back to the brick wall. She tapped a brick three times and the bricks shifted to let her through. Hermione stepped through the hole and saw someone who made her stop short.

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**WHO IS IT WHO IS IT? Well…u shall find out soon…muhuhahahaha…sorry about the amazingly short chapter…**


	2. Unexpected meetings

**Chapter 2 – Unexpected Meetings**

Hermione saw the tall, handsome profile of Draco Malfoy. Oh yes, she thought he was handsome, but he was so arrogant and rude that she despised him.

"_At least he's alone_," thought Hermione, "_I don't know what I would've done if his good for nothing death eater father were with him!_"

Malfoy spotted her and grinned evilly, "Well hello there Mudblood! I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't think they let muggles into Diagon Alley!"

Hermione boiled with rage inside but forced an unpleasant smile on her face, "very funny Malfoy, I'm also surprised to see you here without Crabbe and Goyle. I didn't think you went anywhere without them fighting all your battles for you!"

Malfoy glared at her. "Good one Hermione!" said a very familiar voice from behind her. Hermione turned around and was face to face with her good friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Hi Harry, Hi Ron!" Hermione said cheerfully.

"Hey Hermione!" said Harry and Ron.

Ron's face had turned as red as his hair when he said this. She thought that Ron always had a little crush on her, but her own feelings were nothing more than friendly. Malfoy spotted Ron's red face and said, "Hey Weasel, how come your face is as red as your hair? You get sunburned or something?"

Ron's face turned an even brighter red. Harry turned and said, "Well you don't look so hot yourself so get lost Malfoy!"

Malfoy laughed and left. "One day….." muttered Harry.

"So," interrupted Hermione, "how much stuff do you have left to buy?"

"Oh, we haven't even started yet!" said Ron.

"Great! Then we can get everything together!" said Hermione.

They got their school stuff and stopped by Florean Fortescue's to get some ice cream before they leave.

"So, how're the Dursleys Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "The same…"

"I hear Cho and Cedric are finally breaking up," said Ron.

Harry blushed furiously. _"No surprise there,"_ Hermione thought with a smile, _"I always knew he liked Cho!"_

"I hear that Oliver Wood's got some new moves for the Quidditch games this year," said Harry quickly changing the subject.

It was now Hermione's turn to blush because she had always had a crush on the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Ummmm….i think it's time to go!" Hermione said quickly standing up.

"Right," said Ron, "well then, I'll see both of you at King's Cross next week!"

Hermione went straight back to the alley and was just about to tap on the wall with her wand when someone tapped her on her shoulder.

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**Author's note:** so….what do u think so far? I know, it's really boring….but be patient…it gets exciting later on (hopefully). I'm open for suggestions; I know I can improve my writing. Tell me if I should continue or just give up the whole thing. 


	3. What's wrong with me?

**Hey everyone! Thanks for reviewing. It helps me to go on. Sorry about the short chapters but I'm new and it'll take me a while to develop my ideas. Sorry about the cliffies but I feel that people will want to know more and that will make them continue to read my story. Well, thanx for the support! By the way, I'm sorry if Malfoy gets a tad bit out of character in this chapter but it'll only be for a second. When you see italics it is the characters' thoughts not said out loud.**

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Chapter 3

Hermione turned around and sighed with relief. "Oh my god, it's only you Malfoy, you really freaked me out!"

"Sorry Mudblood," he said giving her a heart stopping grin (all his grins are heart stopping by the way), "It's just that you left some stuff at Florean Fortescue's, he told me to give it back to you. Although I'm surprised I actually agreed!"

Hermione blinked in surprise, "_Was Malfoy actually being nice to me?_" She shook this feeling off and said very doubtfully, "So you came here to give me my stuff back?"

Malfoy shrugged and grinned. Hermione nearly fainted when she saw him grin. She shook her head, "_What's wrong with me?_" she thought, "_why am I feeling all weird? This is Malfoy we're talking about!_"

Hermione smiled for she didn't know what else to do and took her stuff away from Malfoy. He grinned again right before leaving which puzzled Hermione, "_Why is he grinning at me? Do I have something on my face?_" She watched him leave and she didn't know why she couldn't take her eyes off him.

(from Malfoy's perspective)

Malfoy could feel her eyes on him until he turned a corner. "_What's wrong with Granger?_" he wondered, "_She looked like she was going to faint on me!_" He shook his head, "_Must've been my eyes playing tricks on me, Granger couldn't be interested in me now could she? I t would make my job a lot easier if she did like me though. Mind you, I wouldn't blame her if she did like me, I mean who can resist me? But still, I haven't set the trap yet, she can't already have fallen in if I haven't even set the trap up yet. Damn my father, this job may be harder than I expected! Oh well, nothing a little Malfoy charm can't handle!"_

He laughed out loud at this last thought as he exited Diagon Alley.

The week passed quickly and soon it was time to go to platform 9 ¾. Mr. Granger pulled Hermione's trunk into the car and got in. It was a really boring ride to the train station but Hermione managed by thinking about seeing Oliver Wood again.

Hermione said bye to her parents after they arrived at the train station. Her parents drove off and she walked straight through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. She found herself staring at a bright red train which was the Hogwarts Express.

She started pulling her trunk with much difficulty towards the train when someone asked, "Need some help with that Mudblood?"

She turned around and saw Malfoy standing behind her wearing a tank top (the guy kind) and jeans.

Hermione stared at him in awe, "_Wow,_" she thought, "_He looks extremely hot in muggle clothes._" She shook this though away and scolded herself for thinking such thoughts. She instead started looking around for Malfoy senior because she didn't fancy an encounter with him.

Malfoy laughed, "Don't worry Granger. Lucius isn't here, I came alone. I don't need him to baby-sit me and watch over my every move."

Hermione smiled and nodded, "Thanks for asking. I could use a little help!"

Draco gave her one of his heart-stopping grins before pulling the very heavy trunk onto his shoulders as if it weighed less than a feather.

"_Oh my god!_" thought Hermione, "_He's so freakin' buff!_"

He bought her trunk to an empty compartment at the back. "There you go," Malfoy said grinning at her.

"Uhhh, thanks," Hermione said trying not to pass out.

He shrugged, "sure, no problem Mudblood." He left the compartment leaving Hermione very confused at his choice of words.

A few minutes later, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley entered her compartment. The four friends sat down comfortably and soon began talking about nonsense and stuff that had happened during the summer.

Soon, the witch who pushed the food trolley came along and all of them bought a bit of everything. They were soon feasting away when the compartment door slid open. Four people entered: George Weasley, Fred Weasley, Lee Jordan, and Oliver Wood.

Hermione and Ginny, who also had a crush on Oliver Wood, both stopped eating when they saw Oliver Wood leaning against the frame of the compartment door.

"Having a ball are we?" said Fred.

"Well," said George grabbing one of Ron's chocolate frogs, "so nice of you to invite us!"

"What do you want?" asked Ron rolling his eyes.

"Actually," said Lee, his mouth filled with Pumpkin Pasty,"We came with a bit of interesting information."

"Yes, you might want to start thinking about it right away, especially the guys in here," said Oliver with a grin as he sat next to Hermione.

Hermione's heart stopped, Oliver Wood was sitting next to her! She thought she would pass out with excitement.

"All right then, what is it?" asked Harry with a frown.

"Weeeeeell," said George, "we just overheard the head boy telling the head girl that we are going to have four balls (dances for those who prefer that word) this year!"

"FOUR?!?!?" yelled Harry and Ron.

"But….but…but that means that we have to ask out four girls!" stuttered Ron.

"This part is even better!" said Fred ignoring Ron, "the balls (dances) are only for years 4 and up!"

"yeah," said Lee, "no little snotty first, second, and third years!"

"You might want to start thinking about the girls you want to ask!" said Oliver.

"Yeah, see you around!" said Fred.

The four guys exited the now very quiet compartment. "Well," said Hermione breaking the silence, "It looks like we're here!"

Sure enough, up ahead was Hogwarts Castle.

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**Soooooo, how is it so far? Is the chapter long enough? Please review because then I can see if people are actually interested in reading my story. Thank you to those who have already reviewed. I didn't think anyone would review, seeing as how boring it is. Well, tell me what you think, I'll update if people are still interested. I originally planned on making Malfoy nice but that would just ruin the whole story. I think I like him better as he is. There's an interesting announcement from Dumbledore about new housing arrangements next chapter just to tell you. Keep reviewing! The years the people are in are a bit messed up. Oliver Wood is still around and he is in his seventh year. Fred and George and their little gang are in the sixth year. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco are in their fifth year. Sorry, I thought it would be interesting this way.**


	4. New Arrangements

**Hey guys…I'm back! I haven't had time to update in such a long time! But anyways…here's another chapter…enjoy, those of you who are reading…**

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**Chapter 4**

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stepped out into the cool night air, and got themselves a carriage. They rode silently up to the castle with a lot on their minds.

"I'm starving!" said Ron, "I hope all the first years died so we wont have a sorting ceremony!"

"Ron!" shrieked Hermione and Ginny.

"Only joking!" said Ron uneasily as his stomach rumbled.

They got out of their carriage, and walked up to the castle looming before them. Entering the Great Hall, they stared at the Enchanted Ceiling picturing a cloud-less night sky outside. They made their way to the Gryffindor table and sat down. The sorting ceremony began and it seemed to take forever; Ron's stomach grumbled loudly a few times during the ceremony. Finally, when Sam Zavich was sorted, Dumbledore stood up and the Great Hall quieted down.

"Well, it looks like the beginning of another great year. As some of you already know, thanks to a few leaks," he added looking at Fred, George, Lee, and Oliver, "there are going to be four balls this year, a Halloween Ball, a Winter Ball, a Valentine Ball, and an End of school year ball."

There were cheers from the girls while the boys groaned. Dumbledore waited until all was quiet before continuing.

"All students of 4th year and above are allowed to attend. Now, without further ado, time to eat!"

The Great Hall suddenly became noisy and Ron looked at his plate expectantly.

Suddenly, Dumbledore stood up abruptly and said, "Wait…wait, I forgot to mention something." Everyone in the hall groaned loudly.

Dumbledore smiled before continuing, "There are new housing arrangements this year. Instead of living in a dormitory with your entire house, a roommate has been assigned to you; you both will share one room. There is no division among houses, so you may be rooming with someone from an entirely different house. We hope this will encourage Inter-house friendliness as we must unite as one in this time of great need. The list of whom is rooming with whom is posted in you common room along with where your room is located. We hope you like this arrangement. Thank you, and now you may cont-"

No one waited for Dumbledore to finish his line as everyone ran straight to their common rooms, all though of food forgotten. Everyone rushed out to see who they were rooming with. Hermione and Ginny arrived in the common room only to find a huge crowd around the notice board. Harry and Ron worked their way out of the crowd. Ron looked furious.

"I got roomed with Malfoy! Could there be anything worse?"

"Who'd you get roomed with Harry?" asked Hermione completely ignoring Ron.

"I'm O.K, I got roomed with Ernie MacMillan," Harry replied.

"Did you guys manage to see who we got roomed with? I don't think I'd fancy going into there!" said Ginny wrinkling her nose at the large crowd.

"Yeah we did in fact. Ginny, you're with Luna Lovegood, not too bad," said Ron. "Hermione, don't scream, but you got roomed with…Pansy Parkinson!"

"PANSY PARKINSON!" screamed Hermione.

"Yeah, I know, the only good thing is that our rooms are by the kitchens. Oh, and we're neighbors Hermione!" said Ron.

"You and I are also neighbors Ginny," Harry added.

"Well then," said Hermione calming down a bit, "We better get going Ron."

Hermione and Ron walked out through the portrait hole.

"I can't believe it. Malfoy and Parkinson!" said Ron.

They got to their rooms and found Draco and Pansy standing beside two photos, one was of a centaur, the other was a unicorn.

"Well Granger," said Pansy sounding a little bored, "I'm not all that happy with these arrangements, but at least let's try to be not hostile this year!"

She held out her hand carelessly. Hermione took it and they shook on it.

"I'm relieved," said Hermione, "I don't think I could've survived the whole year fighting with each other!"

Pansy shrugged and said, "We could manage. The unicorn told me the password the 'Twinkletoes.' Must've been hard inventing so many passwords!"

The unicorn painting swung open revealing a small room with two single beds, two nightstands, two lamps, and two study tables.

Pansy sighed and mumbled sarcastically, "How nice. We might as well get to bed if we want to get up in time for our lessons tomorrow morning."

The two girls got out their nightgowns, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

They woke up the next morning and dressed into their black robes. Hermione and Pansy got out through their portrait hole the same time as Malfoy and Ron.

"Hello Granger, Parkinson," said Malfoy. Ron just nodded apparently still annoyed about the situation.

"Trust there were no nose bleeds?" drawled Malfoy.

"Of course not, we can be civilized you know," said Pansy giggling madly.

Hermione and Pansy went down to the Great Hall together.

"Isn't her just the hottest guy you have ever seen?" Pansy squealed.

"Who is?" Hermione asked wrinkling her brow.

"Draco Malfoy of course! Oh…but your Weasley friend isn't bad either," Pansy added wrinkling her nose at the last statement.

"Er…right,"said Hermione uneasily.

They got to the Great Hall and Pansy went to the Slytherin table while Hermione went to the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ron were already there.

"Surprisingly, Malfoy said he didn't want to get into any trouble and he thought we should keep it cool for the year. So naturally, that's utter bullshit, so I'm watching my back," said Ron disgustedly.

"Ernie is such a pain in the ass!"grumbled Harry.

"Pansy was being nicer than usual, and though we should be friendly. By that she meant that we not bite each other's heads off. What's our first lesson?"

"Double Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins," said Ron.

"Oh joy!" said Harry sarcastically.

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

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**Ummm…so that's it…it gets interesting later hopefully bites nails in frustration…I'm working on it! I just have to set up a background first..anyways…you know the drill…REVIEW! hehe**


	5. Interesting Moments

**Hi…I changed my user id to draco.luver.forever I don't kno why, it sounds better…hehe…so ya…none of you are reviewing but whatever…this is for my own fun…read and enjoy those of you who are reading!**

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**Chapter 5 – Interesting Moments**

After breakfast, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed over to Hagrid's for the Care of Magical Creatures Lesson. Most of the Slytherins were already there, including Draco and Pansy.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, "I thought we would start the year by studyin' sumthin' interestin'. Today class, we're gonna be studyin' Phoenixes. Now I asked Dumbledore if I could borrow Fawkes and Fawkes found some more Phoenixes for our lesson today. I'll be assigning partners for the year in jus' a moment!"

The class waited patiently while Hagrid went into the forest to set up the material for the lesson. He emerged and said, "Righ', now Harry, why don't you go pair with Goyle. Ron, you go with Pansy. And Hermione with Malfoy. Now go into the forest and find a Phoenix feeding station."

"C'mon mudblood, looks like we're together for the year. Let's hurry up and get a decent Phoenix," drawled Malfoy.

Hermione frowned and followed Malfoy into the forest. They found several trays on the ground filled with weird looking stuff. Malfoy picked up a tray and said, "Now I guess we're supposed to catch ourselves a Phoenix. I think one'll come down for food and we stun it so we can study it better. Got it mudblood?"

Hermione nodded just as a brightly plumed Phoenix came to their tray. "Stupefy!" cried Hermione.

The spell hit the Phoenix and it froze. Malfoy grabbed it and laid it down on the ground. Hermione bent down to pick up some food

"So, what do you know about Phoenixes mudblood?" sneered Malfoy.

"Try calling my Hermione, okay, Malfoy?" she said in an annoyed voice, "I don't know much except stuff I read in books. Their tears have healing powers , they can carry ten times their own weight, and they're very smart."

"Time to pack up, get on to yer next lesson!" boomed Hagrid from just outside the forest.

"Well then, I better go on to Herbology," Malfoydrawled.

"Yeah, all right."

"See you, mudblood," he smirked just before leaving.

Hermione headed off to a History of Magic, but for once, she couldn't concentrate because she couldn't get a certain someone off her mind.

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The days were going by really fast and pretty soon, everyone was talking about the Halloween Ball, which was two weeks away. Hermione decided on going as an angel, and Pansy was going as a gothic person.

The talk between the girls was whether a guy had asked them yet. Since Cho and Cedric had broken up, Harry had hitched up the courage to go ask her. Ron and Hermione were waiting patiently in the common room when Harry came in through the portrait hole looking somewhat disappointed.

"She said she was going with Marcus Flint and she was really sorry," said Harry, it looked as if he was on the verge of tears.

"What?" yelled Ron, "that old git, what does she see in him I ask you?"

"He was obviously the first one to ask her and she was being nice. Don't worry Harry, I'm sure there are lots of girls who would want to go with you," said Hermione reassuringly.

"Yeah, I suppose so," said Harry, though he didn't look convinced.

Just then, Ginny walked in through the portrait hole and said, "Hey guys! What's new?"

"Nothing much Ginny. Just Harry's girl problems," said Ron.

"Oh," said Ginny, blushing a bit. No one had noticed Harry's sudden interest in Ginny. He was staring at her as if he had never seen a girl in his life.

"Wanna go to the ball with me?" he suddenly blurted out.

Ginny's face turned the color of her hair and all she managed was a squeak and a nod as she bolted out of the common room.

"I guess that means yes," said Ron laughing, "funny, I never knew she fancied you Harry, but after that reaction, I changed my mind!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Honestly Ron, you don't even know your own sister. It's obvious she's liked Harry for years but never thought he'd actually ask her to the ball!"

Ron was looking at her in an interested way, "Uh huh, well excuse me for not knowing a sign when I see one, you should write a book for me so I could understand girls better," he said, "So, while we're on the topic of the ball, who are you going with?"

Hermione was shocked at the question but managed to splutter out, "Well, no…no one yet."

"Oh, so you're expecting someone to ask you?" Ron asked.

"No, not really."

Ron stared at her for a while and then slowly asked, "Um, would you, sort of, want to go with me?"

Hermione stared at him blankly, "Are you, Ron Weasley, asking me to the Halloween Ball?"

Ron looked rather embarrassed, "Of course, if you don't want to go, I completely-"

"Yes," Hermione cut him off.

Ron stared at her in disbelief, "what did you say?"

"Yes, of course I'll go with you to the Halloween Ball," repeated Hermione slowly, articulating each word.

"Are you serious? I mean…I thought you'd say no!" said Ron uneasily.

"Well, of course not silly. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room."

Hermione stood up and just before she got out the portrait hole, she heard Ron say to Harry in the background, "She said yes! She actually said yes to me, Ron Weasley! I can't believe it!"

"Good on you mate!" Harry congratulated.

A small smile played on Hermione's lips as she walked back to her room by the kitchens.

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**Thanks for reading…now you know what to do…REVIEW!**


	6. The Halloween Ball

**Hey guys..i have nothing to say besides I think no one is interested in this story…oh well, I'm still writing it….**

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**Chapter 6 – The Halloween Ball**

"Twinkletoes," Hermione said as she entered through her portrait hole. She found Pansy sitting on her bed looking really happy about something.

"Hey, what's up?" Hermione asked.

"I can't believe it, he actually asked me!" said Pansy in a dazed voice.

"Wait, who asked you?" asked Hermione nonchalantly.

"Draco Malfoy of course. He asked me to the Halloween Ball! Omigod, I'm going to need a sexier costume if I'm going with Draco. I know, I'll go as a devil and wear red spandex!" Pans squealed.

"That's great Pansy, you do just that," said Hermione as she walked back out the portrait hole.

She stepped out and was soon knocked to the ground by a towering figure. Hermione landed hard on her ankle, and a loud crack could be heard.

"Watch where you're going you filthy mudblood!" sneered a familiar voice.

"I'm fine thank you and thank you for asking," said Hermione in an annoyed voice. She tried to get up but there was a sharp pain in her left ankle. Since Malfoy was obviously not going to help her up, she tried getting up on her own.

"You'd think that there would actually be a gentleman when u need one," she muttered to herself.

Draco smirked, "Come off it Granger, I'm sure you loved running into me. Where were you off to in such a hurry?"

"None of your business Malfoy," said Hermione rudely.

"Tsk, tsk, touchy touchy. I wonder what's eating you. I guess I just brighten up your day don't I?" Malfoy drawled.

Hermione was just about to reply when she saw Ron coming down the hall.

"You trying to steal my date you piece of Slytherin filth?"

"That was completely uncalled for. Wait a minute, did you say your date?" said Malfoy with a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah, that's right, MY date," replied Ron nastily.

"OK, calm down. I already have a date anyways. I don't need yours," snapped Malfoy.

"All right then beat it!" yelled Ron.

"I'm leaving now guys," said Hermione even though she knew she couldn't be heard over the two fighting.

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It was finally the day of the ball. Everyone was so excited during their lessons that all the teachers just gave up and sat down. After the lessons, many couples around Hogwarts were found discussing meeting times and places before the ball. 

"So Hermione, since our rooms are side by side, I'll pick you up half an hour before the ball from your room. You better be ready by 6:30," said Ron to Hermione as they walked back to the room.

Hermione got back to her room at 4:00 so she took a long shower. When she got out, she saw Pansy in front of the mirror doing her make-up. She was already in her red spandex costume with devil tail and ears. Pansy looked up and saw Hermione.

"Oh, do you want me to do your hair, so that it will look nicer than it usually does," said Pansy carelessly.

Hermione frowned, "No, that's quite all right. I think I'll do it myself."

Pansy shrugged, "Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when Ron looks at you weird."

Hermione turned red but ignored her. She dried her hair and straightened it completely; she slipped into her angel costume which was white, but looked silver under the moonlight. She said a spell which got her wings and a halo. Her make-up came next. She applied some light make-up so as enough to bring out her beauty that no one apparently saw.

After she was completely ready, she saw that it was already 6:25. Pansy and Hermione exited through their portrait hole where they found Ron and Malfoy already standing there. Malfoy was dressed as a vampire, and he took one look at Hermione and his mouth dropped straight open. Ron's mouth was also open but he was staring at Pansy and not Hermione.

"Here is a perfect example that beauty only goes skin deep," sneered Malfoy.

Hermione was shocked at the comment only because it could be taken two ways; he did mention that she was beautiful, but then he also mentioned that she was not appealing on the inside. She decided to take it the negative way, and just glared at him.

Ron was still in a trance apparently amazed by Pansy's costume. Hermione cleared her throat, and that seemed to snap him out of it.

"Huh? Oh right," Ron recovered, "Shall we?" He extended his arm, and Hermione took at as they walked into the Great Hall.

The first people they saw were Harry and Ginny who had apparently decided to go as characters from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Hermione thought that it must have been Harry's idea because she doubted that Ginny had ever seen an episode.

Ginny was dressed as Willow while Harry was dressed as Xander. They looked like they were having fun because they were both laughing.

"Hey Hermione, hey Ron!" said Ginny breathlessly, "great costumes!"

"Yeah, they're awesome!" said Harry but his eyes were on Pansy as she entered the Great Hall.

Hermione and Ron went to go find a table. They finally found one and Ron went to go get butterbeers.

Dumbledore stood up and the entire hall quieted down. "Welcome to the Hogwart's Halloween Ball. We're going to start the music soon. The first dance of the night will be one where u must dance with anyone except your date. Good luck on finding someone!"

The Great Hall was filled with commotion as all the guys went to go find different dance partners. Through the crowd, she saw Ron go over to ask Pansy, and Harry go and ask Cho. A smile showed up on Hermione's lips.

"Hello Hermione," said a voice from behind her.

Hermione turned and was face to face with…

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**WHO IS IT? Well, review and u just might find out…remember, it might not always be the person u are thinking of so review and u can find out for sure!**


	7. The Insensitivities of Certain Dates

**And I'm back! Thanks to the TWO whole people who reviewed my story after last chapter...but apparently this story is being followed because I am on five author alert lists…I guess those people just don't want to review…anywayz…here's another chapter for u to enjoy! (sorry, had to make it cliché because the story needs to progress)**

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**Chapter 7 – The Insensitivities of Certain Dates**

She turned around and saw Draco Malfoy with a sexy smile on his face. Wait a minute? Did she just call him sexy? Her breath caught in her throat. He looked really hot dressed as a vampire **(A/N: of course Draco would look hot as a vampire!) **and that smile was enough to be her next aphrodisiac.

"Hello," Hermione said curtly.

"So what do you say? You are like the only girl left who doesn't have a dance partner," he said, still smirking.

"Come again?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Honestly Granger, I sometimes think how such a bright student could be so dense. I'm asking you to dance stupid."

Hermione stared at him and said slowly, "Are you sure u want to dance with me? I am a, what's that word you use again? Oh yeah, mudblood after all."

He regained his composure and said coolly, "Well I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to ask you now would I?"

Hermione looked at him and rolled her eyes, "Fine."

They went to the dance floor and positioned themselves and started dancing. Hermione felt as if she were walking on air.

Draco saw her dazed expression and whispered in her ear, "You feeling alright Granger?"

"Mmmm…?" Hermione said dreamily, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing…nothing," Malfoy muttered. The song soon ended and Malfoy said, "Weasley still has my date. I think I'm going to go take a walk outside."

It was not as if he had invited her to come along but Hermione found that her legs began to follow him outside.

"_What are you thinking Hermione? This is the guy who always called you mudblood and made fun of you! Have you lost your bloody mind? You're going outside with him alone?_" screamed the inside of her head.

The two went outside and walked around silently.

"So mudblood…" Malfoy started.

At that moment, Hermione snapped, "Why is it that you always call me mudblood? What did I ever do to deserve it? Just because I am muggle born doesn't give you the right! You are just a conceited bastard who thinks he's better than everyone else!" With that, she stomped off towards the castle.

Malfoy stared at her disappearing profile and smirked, "Not bad mudblood, you're actually pretty interesting when you're angry," he said with a devilish grin.

* * *

Hermione entered the castle and went back to her table only to find that Ron had not returned.

"He probably just went to get a drink," she said to herself.

But when she turned around, she saw Ron dancing with Lavender Brown. Anger filled up inside of her but she managed to calm down.

"He's probably just having a bit of fun. He'll come back later. It's not like I own him or anything," she thought.

With these reassuring thoughts, she went to go visit Ginny and Harry. When she got to the table all she found was a disappointed looking Ginny but no Harry.

"Hey Ginny, what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, it's just that Harry and Cho seem to have disappeared," replied Ginny angrily.

Rage filled Hermione once again but she managed to calm it.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll come back. He probably went to the bathroom and Cho went outside with Marcus Flint," said Hermione reassuringly.

Ginny looked at her doubtfully. Hermione sat next to Ginny to keep her company. The song ended but Ron didn't come back, instead he went straight to Parvati Patil. This continued throughout the rest of the ball. Ron didn't come back but instead went to different girls. He finally got back to Pansy, and Ginny and Hermione saw Draco come in their direction.

"Hello," he drawled, "What're you two up to?"

Hermione and Ginny managed weak smiles.

"Oh I see," said Malfoy with a smirk, "your dates deserted you. Well, no matter, Ginny, would you like to dance?" He gave her a smile that Hermione immediately labeled as fake.

Ginny nodded excitedly and got up. Before leaving, Malfoy smirked at Hermione just to spite her. She frowned and refused to look at him. Soon, the ball ended and it was time to go. Hermione was relieved and she knew that this was the worst night of her entire life.

"Ugh, I could just kill him!" said Hermione in a frustrated manner.

"Kill who?" said Pansy nonchalantly as she joined her back to their room.

Hermione sighed, "No one, just someone I thought was my friend and actually cared for me!"

"Oh," said Pansy, but they no longer discussed it.

Hermione went straight to her room, undressed, and got into her nightgown, and went to sleep. She thought about how Ron had treated her before finally falling into slumber, and a single tear rolled down her flushed face.

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**Yes, yes, I know, Ron is such a bastard…oh well…next chapter has a bit of action with the love birds so if u want to continue reading….make sure you REVIEW! Oh, and sorry about the short chapters, but then I can update quickly, isn't that what you guys want?**


	8. Fights and Making Out

**Wow guys! Thanks so much for reviewing, I love you all! Well, here's the next chappie…enjoy! Oh and by the way…thanks for the suggestion eaglebabe45…I will try adding more details…I'm still new to this so I will have to get used to it! Thanks once again for all the reviews…if u have any suggestions at all…just tell me!**

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**Chapter 8 – Fights and Making Out**

The next day was Saturday so Hermione woke up late, dressed, and went down for lunch in the Great Hall. She tried to avoid Harry and Ron who were waving from across the room.

"You trying to ignore them too?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," replied Hermione.

"Harry already tried talking to me, but I told him to get lost. Then Ron came and asked for you, and I told him that you didn't want anything to do with him."

"You're right, I don't want to ever speak to him again," said Hermione, "_and not to a certain blond either,_" she addedin her thoughts.

Hermione and Ginny decided to do homework in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione was working on a History of Magic essay when she heard the portrait hole open and saw two people enter.

"Hi," said Ron.

Hermione pursed her lips and continued working.

"Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did!"

Hermione looked at him, "You mean you honestly don't know what you did wrong?"

"Well, no, is it about the Halloween Ball?" Ron said a little embarrassed. Hermione ignored him and kept on writing.

"It's about me dancing with all the other girls isn't it? It's not my fault they find me irresistible. You have no right to be jealous. It's not like you own me or anything!" Ron said angrily.

Rage boiled inside of her and she exploded, "Jealous? Who said anything about being jealous? You would be the last person I would feel jealous about! As I recall, it was you who asked me to the ball wasn't it? You could've at least stuck with me for one night couldn't you? After that you could flirt with and snog whomever you want! I don't care what you fucking do with your life Ron because I have no intention of being a part of it! Ronald Weasley, you are the most insensitive person I have ever met. I don't want anything to do with you!"

With that, she grabbed all her stuff and ran out through the portrait hole. She kept on running all the way back to her room.

Hermione ran through the portrait hole to her room and sat down angrily on the bed. There was knocking at the door.

"Go-Away!" Hermione said through clenched teeth.

"It's me, I'm coming in!" said a familiar arrogant voice that just happened to be Draco.

Hermione calmed down, "No, go away!" The portrait swung open and Malfoy walked in. Hermione stared at him.

He smirked, "Pansy told me the password long ago. This is not the first time I've been in here." Hermione was horrified which made Malfoy smirk even more.

"Well, what do you want? Oh, you want Pansy? I think she's in the bathroom," she said.

"No, I actually came to see what got you all riled up," said Malfoy.

"Why should you care? It could be you, it could be Harry, it could be Ron, it could be anybody! So why do u fucking-"

Hermione stopped talking because Malfoy suddenly crossed the room and put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Are you always this forward?" she asked breathlessly.

He smirked, "Only when I have to be."

"Get your fucking hands off me!"

Malfoy smiled at her stubbornness. "What are you smirking about?" she demanded.

"Nothing, nothing," he said smugly. She turned away, and he added, "You know, I think I like you better when you're all angry."

Hermione turned, "Excuse me?" Malfoy grinned at her. She sighed, "Just go, get out!"

"No, I don't think I will," Malfoy said playfully.

"Did you hear me wrong? I said to GO AWAY!" she said angrily. "Why do you insist on provoking me?"

Malfoy replied to this by pressing his lips down onto hers with a kiss that was so deep that it felt like it was bottomless. He then got up and walked out like it never happened knowing that he was leaving her wanting more.

He grinned, "_Not yet mudblood, we've only just started!_" he thought to himself.

The portrait hole swung shut as he walked out leaving Hermione quite speechless indeed. She touched her swollen lips tenderly. That had been her first kiss; strange how it had come from someone who she hated. Or at least thought she hated.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open revealing a very furious looking Pansy.

"I can't believe you just fucking did that!" she shrieked. "Even after you knew how much I liked him!"

"Whoa, I'm not sure if you noticed but he was the one who made the move on me!" Hermione retorted.

"Why the fucking hell would he want to do that?" Pansy sneered.

"Oh gee, I don't know, maybe because he might actually like me?" said Hermione sarcastically.

"Why would he want you? Tell me, why would the Slytherin Prince, who could get any girl in the world, want with a mudblood such as yourself? Don't try and convince yourself that he cares about you because he doesn't. He doesn't care about anyone. Mark my words, he doesn't want you, he wants what you can do for him."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" said Hermione, shocked.

"Just what I said, he wants what you can _do_ for him. Get it through your head Granger, he wants to use you. And then just like a dirty rag, he's going to throw you away, just like that!" Pansy stomped out of the room clearly happy with the insults she had just passed leaving Hermione to ponder about what was just said.

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**Ooooh…Pansy you whore! Sorry about the shortness…I just couldn't think of anything else that would make this chapter longer…oh well, its straight to the point…anyone besides me think Pansy is a bitch? Lol…please Review! **


	9. Dress Shopping Plans and Weirdness

**Hi, thanks for the reviews…even though there were only a few, I'm not complaining! I love writing this story! Anywayz…chapter 9 here we come!**

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**Chapter 9 – Dress Shopping and Weirdness**

Hermione headed down the grounds alone for the Care of Magical Creatures lesson when she heard voices calling her from behind. She turned and saw Harry and Ron calling, but decided to ignore them at the moment. All she could think about was that kiss that Malfoy had given her that had made her fall.

"_Besides, the kiss probably didn't mean anything. I'm sure he kisses loads of girls every day_!" and with those reassuring but disappointing thoughts, she entered the forest.

Malfoy joined her a few seconds later, and it seemed as though he didn't care at all because he didn't even say hello. He just had that pathetic smirk on his face. They were studying unicorns now.

A couple of trees down, they heard someone sigh, then giggle. Hermione and Malfoy walked over and found Pansy and Ron making out on the tree. They were so deeply into it that they didn't even notice that they were standing there. Malfoy and Hermione turned around quickly and walked away.

"I can't believe they would do that where everyone could see them!" said Hermione to herself disgustedly, "It looks like Ron doesn't miss me at all." She hadn't realized she had said it out loud until she saw Malfoy's amused expression.

"What's so fucking funny?" she demanded, "I thought you would care since you're so close to Pansy and all."

Malfoy scowled, "Pansy can go screw whoever she wants. I really don't care! But it seems that you actually do care for carrot top." He smirked as he watched her reaction.

"What? Me care for Ron? That's the funniest thing I have ever heard in my life! As if! You just made my day!" she said with a bitter laugh.

"Uh huh…" Malfoy said as he rolled his eyes.

Hermione was about to cuss him out when she realized what he was trying to do.

"What a minute," she said with a smile, "You're just trying to get me angry aren't you? Well, it's not going to work!"

Malfoy shook his head, "You are way to fucking stubborn. But I like that…"

Hermione looked horrified, "Me? Stubborn? I think you have it all wrong Mister Malfoy. It is you who are stubborn."

"I won't argue with that," he said smugly.

Hermione was outraged, "How do you manage to stay so calm? Don't you ever break?"

"You haven't said anything that would break me. So far, all you've said is true," he replied with a shrug.

Suddenly, Hermione realized that there was more to this guy than met the eye. Someone who is willing to admit his faults can't be entirely bad now can he? She had always thought he was some smug, conceited bastard who thought he was perfect. Some of it wasn't true, even though he was still Malfoy, and she began to see him in a different light. She started staring at him in a sort of dazed way, and she must have been staring pretty hard because he said uncomfortably,

"Must you stare at me like that?"

"Oh, sorry," said Hermione snapping out of it.

"Must be my incredible hotness!" Malfoy said conceitedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but accidentally blurted out without thinking, "I guess so…"

She then realized what she had just said and covered her mouth quickly.

Malfoy just stared at her with those gorgeous gray eyes with one eyebrow cocked. "_Did she just say I was hot?_"

The atmosphere became really uncomfortable between the two until Malfoy suddenly broke the silence, "Uh…so…we should probably get to work now!"

Hermione was speechless so she just nodded. For the remainder of the lesson, they worked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Hermione couldn't think of much except the look on Malfoy's face when she let that comment slip from her lips, "_Was he actually surprised that I had called him hot?_" she thought. 

Her relationship between Ron was deteriorating quickly; he didn't seem to have a clue that he had hurt her badly. Harry on the other hand had made up with Ginny and the two were now going out. Ginny seemed really happy and Hermione was happy for her. She didn't know how long she could keep her accumulating feelings from Ginny.

Sooner or later, she knew she would explode and tell Ginny everything. Sure enough, a week later, Hermione had invited Ginny over to her room to have a talk.

"So, what's up?" Ginny asked.

"Well…I don't know…I thought you might be able to help me figure something out."

"Okay, then spit it out," said Ginny.

"IthinkImightbefallingforMalfoy," Hermione said in one breath.

"Whoa, take a deep breath now. That's it now, repeat that a bit slower please."

Hermione calmed down a bit, "I…I…think I might be falling for Malfoy."

Ginny looked horrified, "But Hermione, he's a fucking Slytherin! They're all bad asses! He calls you mudblood and he makes fun of you all the time! You surely can't be falling for someone like that!"

"I know, I know, I myself can't believe it, but it's true! So what should I do about it?"

"Well for starters, tell me what has happened so far." Hermione told her everything, the kiss, the compliment, and his reactions.

"Hmm, this guy works backwards. You usually kiss after you get to know each other, not before! But he seemed pleasant enough at the ball," said Ginny thoughtfully.

Hermione shook her head, "He was trying to provoke me! I had yelled at him for calling me mudblood before." Ginny nodded her head in understanding.

"Let's try and get Malfoy off your mind. There's a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, do you want to get a dress for the Winter Ball?"

"Omigosh! I completely forgot about the Winter Ball! Has anyone asked you yet?"

"Well, duh, I'm going with Harry. Or did you forget all about me and Harry while you were thinking about Malfoy?" said Ginny looking amused.

Hermione looked guilty, "Oh right, sorry! I forgot that Harry is such a sweet guy and he decided to actually say sorry."

Ginny shook her head, "You aren't still hung up over Ron now are you? Give him another chance, he is a bit slow."

"Oh whatever, no use crying over spilt milk!" Hermione said.

"Right, I'm glad you're the forgiving type! Now let's get some sleep! We've got to go dress shopping tomorrow!" Ginny got up and walked out of the room.

Hermione sighed and slipped into her nightgown and tried to go to sleep. There was a sudden knocking on the door. Thinking it was Pansy, Hermione ignored it. She was surprised when she saw Malfoy come in wearing only his boxers.

"Malfoy!" shrieked Hermione, "What're you doing here? And why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

"Huh?" said Malfoy with a confused expression, "Sorry, I didn't think you'd mind. I was just looking for Weasley. I thought he might be here with Pansy."

He was right, she didn't mind him with only his boxers on. She gazed intently at his broad shoulders and slowly moved down his chest and well-built abs. He seemed to notice her intense gaze because a smirk began to appear on his face, "What are you staring at mudblood?"

"Oh sorry, what was that? Did you just call me mudblood again?"

"Just wanted to provoke you," he said with a grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "and I was just trying to make sure I never forget what you look like without your clothes on."

Malfoy chuckled, "You are a feisty one aren't you? But that is interesting. It seems as though you aren't the mudblood I thought you were."

He turned around and walked out leaving Hermione to her very conflicting thoughts.

* * *

Back in his room, Malfoy smirked as he lay down on his bed. He knew Granger was falling for him, and he couldn't blame her. After that display, no one could resist him. But something was tugging at him, and he knew what he was doing was wrong. To use the poor girl as a tool to get closer to Potter didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. 

Maybe he should stop listening to his father. He can remember as if it were only the other day…

**Flashback**

"Get close to Potter! Close enough so that his every secret comes spilling out of his mouth. Then maybe we'll see what kind of company he keeps!" Lucius screamed.

"But father, how do I do it? It's not like the Gryffindors ever allow the Slytherins to befriend them," Draco said.

Lucius turned and glared at Draco, "I don't care how you do it! Just get it done! Charm the mudblood friend Potter has if you have to! I don't care, all that matters is that we see what Potter is up to. From my sources, I hear someone is threatening him. Follow in my footsteps. Don't let anyone know what side you're actually on!"

Draco shrugged, "That should be easy enough. No one, not even the mudblood should be able to resist my charm once they fall victim."

Lucius smiled, "That's my boy! I knew you had it in you. It was the same for me when I was your age!"

Draco rolled his eyes, thankfully his father wasn't watching.

"Now go!" Lucius shouted, "And do not fail me. There will be consequences if you do!"

**End Flashback**

Draco sighed, rolled over, and went to sleep. He had many dreams that interrupted his restless sleep. In one of them, Hermione found out why he was using her.

"I can't believe this!" she shrieked in his dream, "It turns out you were exactly as I thought you were! I hate you!" For some reason, in the dream, Draco didn't want Hermione to hate him.

He woke up with a start.

"Shit," he said, "that would be horrible if she actually found out!" He didn't know why, but he just couldn't shake off the feeling that he didn't want to hurt her. That he cared for her.

"No way," he said to himself, "that can't be. I'm probably just really tired! Ha, I can't actually care for that mudblood, I hate her! Or do I? Are love and hate really that different? They are just deep passionate feelings for another person, right? So I hate her? No, I love her? Hell no! Then what is it? Is it possible to hate and love someone at the same time? This is all way too confusing. Whatever, I'll just forget about it."

He shook off the feelings that were penetrating his ice cold heart and went to sleep. No other dreams bothered his restful slumber.

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**So…what do u think? Does he hate her? Or does he love her? See, my philosophy is that they are both the same thing. They are just two things that provoke extremely passionate feelings for another person. So ya, anyways…don't forget to review!**


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